Master of Public Health - Master of Global Development

Be equipped with the interdisciplinary skills and expertise to address pressing global challenges in public health and global development. Gain an in-depth understanding of the urgent issues facing vulnerable communities through JCU’s unique position as a university for the Tropics that has worldwide impact.

Be prepared to develop strategies for addressing both current and future challenges through the Master of Public Health — Master of Global Development degree (MPH-MGlobDev), which is highly attuned to the development challenges of the next decade. This degree is the first joint Master’s program in Australia to respond to the development needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. You will gain key conceptual and practical skills to understand and respond to shifting landscapes of public health and human development.

Benefit from studying at a university ranked in the top 100 universities in the world for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Develop the knowledge and experience which will allow you to work in priority areas of poverty alleviation, disease prevention, health promotion, gender equality, social justice, climate responsive systems, and sustainable resource management, identified by the UN as key global challenges for future sustainability. You will gain vital intercultural competencies through the degree’s strong focus on global development while responding to a domestic imperative, equipping you to work effectively and ethically in contexts throughout the Tropics and Asia-Pacific.

Learn how to critically analyse, evaluate and generate solutions to complex public health and development problems for tropical, remote and inter-cultural settings through informed and evidence-based methodologies. Throughout this degree, you’ll learn to integrate and apply advanced theoretical and technical knowledge in public health and global development policy and practice, ensuring your ability to make a difference at both a community and policy level.

As a student at JCU, your studies can include national and international opportunities due to the University’s strong connections across the Asia Pacific region and the Tropics. Gain in-depth experience and benefit from networking opportunities through the work integrated learning, workplace-based projects, field exercises and service-learning available throughout this degree. Through extensive practical experiences, you will develop relevant technical and leadership skills to work in global development, public health, high-level research and effective practices that improve social, economic, cultural and environmental futures in the Tropics.

Choose to undertake the Master of Public Health — Master of Global Development degree on a coursework basis, with a research focus, or via a combination of coursework and placements. Study the way that suits you best, with options for online or mixed-mode delivery.

Additional Information

As a graduate of the Master of Public Health — Master of Global Development, you will have strong skills in project and resource management, leadership, planning, critical evaluation and advanced research as well as extensive practical experience. As the MPH-MGlobDev is the first of its kind in Australia, you will stand out from the crowd as a professional with a unique combination of expertise in both public health and development, knowledge which has become highly valuable in a world drastically affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Master of Public Health — Master of Global Development prepares you for a career with unlimited potential. Your knowledge and skills are highly applicable in many areas of health, education, and development, allowing you to enter a wide variety of positions. Highly regarded by employers, health and development graduates are sought after within a range of national and international NGOs, government departments, local councils and private sector operators working in global development.

Your future career will have a national and international scope through JCU’s strong ties across the Asia Pacific and Tropics, which you will first experience in your professional placement. The connections you make with the organisation facilitating your placement could lead to employment opportunities post-graduation. These organisations can include government, multilateral and non-government organisations such as: the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT), the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), CARE Australia, the Fred Hollows Foundation, and state and territory Departments of Health.

International NGOs may include the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Doctors Without Borders, the World Health Organisation (WHO), Marie Slopes International, PLAN International, and UN bodies such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).